The starting point for salmon fishing in Discovery Passage area 13, is July 15.
You can view the number of boats heading out to the Lighthouse, Red and Green can along with Shelter Point and Kitty Coleman for Chinook and coho salmon fishing. Prior to July 15, a number of locals ventured out to search for clipped coho. Chinook was non-retention.
During July, herring balls were located on the fish finder and many anglers who enjoy jigging were gathered in one spot where the fishing fun had begun. Since the coho action was steady, many took to getting a fly rod out and this is where the fun begin. Coho are very sporty and using light tackle can give you a big thrill. Streamer fly patterns can be used and many are bringing out the buck tail flies. Yes the bucktailers are still out there.
I'm using July 15 as a marker date for those who are waiting for the pinks to enter the local river systems which include the Campbell, Quinsam and Oyster rivers. For the pinks, there have been a few early returns and I expect a good number to enter the rivers within days, you will notice a number of anglers in the rivers when the pinks are in.
I was the lone angler in my spot and while no pinks were around in the pool, I hooked and released a nice trout. The fly of choice was a size 10 pattern with a purple tail and body and the wing was a pink and purple combination tied in the front and extended to the back of the tail. We had a cloud burst here in Campbell River on Monday night, July 22 but more rain is needed to get the pinks into the river systems.
The Tyee Pool last year saw 27 fish registered and a good year would be 20 to 30 fish being registered as a Tyee. July 15 was the first day the fishing began and a 15 pound fish was caught. As the fishing continues to Sept. 15, I will have a running count of what gets registered. There is a couple that drives here to Campbell River to fish the pool every day. They drive from Qualicum Beach to fish together. If you don't feel like fishing, drive out to the Spit and sit and watch well into the nighttime.
If you are inclined to do some beach fishing locally, try starting at Rotary Beach and you can check out the many spots that are available for pink and coho salmon and catch and release cutthroat fishing can be done. Walking out can be a challenge so I prefer low tide situations when you can find the the sandy bottom instead of walking on slippery large rocks.
Salmon Point is a good spot to search out both pinks and coho. Watch the tides and at times floating kelp and other debris can be a nuisance to your fishing activity on the beach.
